The Upside of Working for Free
I know that some of you are going to get grumpy when I tell you that working for free can be good for your personal and professional development. But bear with me for a few minutes, and then you can return to your grumpiness.
Here are six reasons why you’d want to do pro bono work for non-profit organizations:
1. You’re just starting out as a freelancer and your portfolio is empty.
I mean, that portfolio is so empty, there’s an echo in there. The good news is that there are plenty of non-profits that need your professional touch. They may have a website that needs redesigning. Or they need your computer programming skills to build a better membership database. Or their brochure could use better written copy.
Whatever you do, you’re going to do it so well that you’ll add the finished product to your portfolio. Now it’s not so empty. And, since you’ve done such a good job, you have a better chance of landing paying clients.
Here’s an idea: Why not start with your pro bono client’s board of directors? Quite often, they’re wealthy people with considerable clout in the community.
Before you go charging off to call everybody on the board list, check with someone from the organization’s staff. Although some board members may be open to the idea of freelancers contacting them directly, others may not. If you’ve happened upon an organization with reclusive board members, ask that staff member to make a recommendation on your behalf.
2. You believe in the cause and want to support it.
And you also think that your favorite cause’s website is seriously ugly and that you can improve it. But, before I go any further with this point, here’s some bad news from a U.S. government agency with the initials I, R, and S: You cannot deduct the time you put into pro bono work. Sorry, but that’s the rule according to our Internal Revenue Service.
Tip: If you’re reading in this in a country that doesn’t have the initials U, S, and A, your rules may be different. Check with an accountant or your taxing authorities.
3. You want to learn new skills.
Believe it or not, there’s more to life than sitting at your computer. If you’ve wanted to learn how to build a house, then Habitat for Humanity has a hammer and nail apron that’s waiting for you. Don’t worry if you’ve never pounded a nail in your life. Habitat will teach you.
4. You want to hone existing skills.
Years ago, I wanted to be a photojournalist. Then I went to college and attended a recruiting meeting at the campus newspaper. The photography staff came out brandishing some serious-looking Nikons, and me? I used a Minolta. So, I skulked out of the meeting without joining the photo staff.
It wasn’t until three years ago that I got serious about photography again. And, since digital photography is a much different beast than film, I’m in serious re-learning mode. I’ve been building my photographic portfolio while being a volunteer shooter for Habitat for Humanity Tucson, International Relief Teams, Watershed Management Group, and my neighborhood association.
5. You need to get out more.
This tip goes out to all of you home-based freelancers: Sitting at home in front of the computer can lead to loneliness and isolation, neither of which are beneficial to your health. So, get out there and serve your community. You’ll feel better.
6. You have skills that non-profits need.
And, here’s a news flash: They may not be the skills that your freelance clients pay you for. For example, Tucson’s community radio station just completed its semi-annual fundraiser. I was one of the people answering the pledge phone, and you know what? It was a blast.
During my second shift, I was asked to fill out a volunteer skills questionnaire. I put “fundraising” down as one of the things I’d like to do. Although I also noted my design and photography skills, that f-word really got the station’s attention. So now I’m on the fundraising committee.
So, there you have it. Six ways to help yourself and your community through pro bono work. If you’d like to do further reading on this topic, graphic designer Jeff Fisher has written a very good article, “Profiting from Pro Bono Creative Efforts.”
418,579
Whether you want to learn while you work out or to make that commute useful, Freelance Radio is the place to hear all the tips, tricks and news of freelancing.
Freelance Radio
With over 100 weekly comic strips and counting, Freelance Freedom is an institution around here. Check out of all NC's brilliant work in the archives.
Freelance Freedom Archives
Supporting a non profit organization definitely works. I started doing this about 3 months ago, and I have received lots of benefits for doing so. Plus if you add to your cv the fact that you support X organization people think your somewhat big, offer high quality and that’s great! You don’t have to teach them that, they already know.
Great article Martha! We at the Ranovsky Foundation just started a pro bono project for non profits and we are in discussion with many organizations around the world in need of some designer skill. Anyone interested is welcomed to visit us at http://www.ranovsky.com
Thank You
Ivan
Going for a good cause is always a great thing, but actually I think the best way to learn things is to do them for yourself. I somehow miss the possibilities you can do for yourself.
Build a site about what you love to do, blog, create photo collection, join flickr, create cool backgroung graphics, build a social media campaign about your stuff… there are endless possibilities with a budget of 0$, as there are so many free services you can use to promote yourself. Join wordpress or blogger and write a blog. Create a flickr account and share your photos. Apply to stock sites. Write tutorials about the stuff you learn at photoshop.
There are so many things you can do for yourself before you start anything for others, do what you can actually profit from before you join someone who wants to abuse your skills.
Yea, if I would only have free time to do something for non-profit orgs. Right now I can only taste it by helping people on polish Wordpress support forum and blood donation every three months – in some way, this is a “work for free” (hey, your heart have to pump this blood, this is work, isn’t it?).
Last year I was organizing “The TrekSphere” – first in 10 years, polish Star Trek convention, completely for free. I was able to use not just my design skills to create ID’s and posters, but also my management skills to make this convention possible, not mentioning my work as master of ceremony
. Yes, it was great, and the best thing is – I don’t regret spending so much of my own money just to make this work. Oh, and the opportunity to work with great people, flesh and blood, face to face – something I miss in my daily life.
I agree with the work for free thing. I have done lot of designing work for my college gatherings, programs, technical event. I have designed brochures, posters, leaflets, invitations, certificates and much more. I have included all these stuff in my portfolio. I have not published it on web yet, but definitely do it in next couple of weeks.
Thanks for Article.
Freelancers can also work for free for small biz owners or anybody else in their target market. It’s a good strategy for new freelancers to build up their portfolio and getting testimonials. Pro bono work can also lead to referrals that may end up to be profitable in the long run.
I work for mostly non-profs so I just about work for free all the time.
I make a good living out of it but get paid a lot less then most people. My problem is that in some cases I actually feel bad for getting paid but I have to feed my family. At what point do you get taken advantage of and at what point are you just racking up good Karma? I guess as long as my family is fed, who cares? I can tell you this though, non-profits are run by commitee and boards. Which sucks because things move slow and everyone has a say so, BUT, all of those people run businesses or work for local businesses that now know me and my work and I get (was until the economy hit the pooper) a ton of referrals from these wonderful folks. Contact your local YMCA or community center and offer to do some work for them. You’ll be able to do things most clients won’t let you. It’s a great way to home your skills for sure.
I’d also highlight the advantages of working for yourself (which always seems to be free!). You can develop your portfolio with personal projects, learn new skills – and those are advantages that you can then use for both pro-bono work or for paid contracts. A combination of extending your skillset and experience, and developing a strong portfolio of work.
I was just reading the other day about some research that those who give the most are the most prosperous – not the other way around. Giving draws people to you, builds good will, and can apparently be a great recipe for success (as counter-intuitive as that seems).
A note on non-profits: I’ve done some pro-bono work for non-profits who operate on a shoestring, but I’ve also done some work where the pay was the same as a for-profit business. The key is to research the company. People often get non-profit confused with charity… many non-profits have big budgets and pay their CEOs huge salaries and bonuses just like a for-profit company. Many times, these bloated NPOs will use their non-profit status to get services at reduced rates.
The best way to build your portfolio is to do personal projects that reflect your personal interests. Put into your portfolio the kind of work you want to do.
I’ve been thinking of doing this, and this post really helped focus my plans. Nice work!
There’s always the chance, too, that whomever you are doing the free work for will turn out to be a very valuable contact. I did a lot of free work back when I was first getting started, and part of why I subsist mainly on word-of-mouth now is because of those initial connectors that I helped out once or twice. Those free projects turned out to be very good investments that are still paying off today!
Great article. Question though. I am currently doing free projects to build up my portfolio (I produce screencasts) and currently have 5 pieces finished. Is that enough? Should I do more?
As someone who works for a nonprofit with a shoestring budget, I definitely welcome this concept! So often there are things we need that our staff of two just doesn’t have the expertise to accomplish.
A couple of points that may be helpful for people looking to do this. First, sometimes the non-profit can pay you, but it’s at a lower rate (sometimes significantly lower) than you’d otherwise command. So, if you’re hesitant to do something for completely free, ask what kind of budget they’re working with for what they need. It might be that they do have *some* money available, even if not enough to pay full price.
Secondly, even if you cannot deduct the time you spend on the project on your taxes, you *can* still receive a write-off for the work you do if you are not paid for it. We call them “in-kind” donations, and what we do is send a receipt for the value of the work (i.e., what we would have paid for the job if we had been paying), and the individual (or business) can use that as a charitable contribution. This only works if you don’t receive any money or benefits (i.e., free ticket to an event, etc) in return.
I have made a practice of picking one local non-profit a year and volunteering my skills / time. It’s always worth it.
While I’m one of those people who grit my teeth at “working” for free, this isn’t really “working,” it’s “volunteering,” so I am totally on board!
Actually, I had an internship for a non prof, doing grant writing and research. Years later they tapped me for a large project. It works out!
@Lexi, I would caution against doing unpaid work for for-profit businesses. This website offers reasons why:
http://www.no-spec.com/
This type of flexibility (being able to do work for free when you want to) is exactly one of the reasons people may be attracted to becoming a freelancer in the first place. If you’re a freelancer with multiple clients already, you may hardly even notice adding another one. And if you’re not desperate for the income, it’s a great way to feel good about helping out someone else in need.
Doing volunteer or pro-bono work is very rewarding and in fact much of my work has come from doing just these projects. I have been doing extensive work since I was young for religious projects and charities, since then the same circle of influential people have been bringing me jobs through all of those days of giving.
Plus I ask for open and free design direction, that way I get something great for the portfolio and make someone happy
I started my freelance career with a non-profit organization, and that is what made me confident and a lot knowledgeable in this field. I am proud to be still working with the NPOs.
Working for a non-profit company (particularly a well known one) can really add that extra jewel to your portfolio crown for sure!
I fully agree with you here. Its the perfect way to contribute to your community while building your portfolio. Regarding another comment that was made… I think working for a non-profit BEFORE you work for yourself making up projects or blogs contributes much more to your portfolio, and just because they are getting your services for free, or very little, does not necessarily mean they are abusing you. (There are people out there who do this, but its not usually the non-profits!)
Its a great chance to do work that helps other people, builds your portfolio, and eventually builds your business, not to mention your reputation.
I always think that doing volunteer work is great, BUT my daily routine has squeezed all my time. I do want to do some volunteer work, but it seems that it is not that easy to get started.
Actually, doing volunteer work was one of my goals for 2009, but I find my other commitment has made that impossible…
Some points to be added:
1) Some organizations (like one I belonged to a few years ago) have paid staff members but quite cynically and deliberately exploit the desire of some members to “do good” or to gain exposure. They will push your buttons to make you believe that you will get exposure. So do good, but don’t be used, and make certain that your labor is *really* contributing to a worthwhile end result.
2) Your time can very easily be wasted. Because your work is “free” you may find that nobody in the organization makes themselves available to participate in order to make your work accessible or usable. Example: you may develop a great web site pro bono but nobody wants to make the effort to learn how to maintain it. You may write a great PR piece that doesn’t get used – no urgency about it because it didn’t cost them anything. So you need to gauge the commitment level of your contacts in the group before getting involved. It can feel like a slap in the face to bust your rear on a project that doesn’t get used.
3) With the economic downturn and joblessness of new occupational groups for the first time, there are record numbers of people volunteering. You may have competition for decent roles, believe it or not.
4) In light of the previous points – which indicate that it’s tough to even be appreciated for such efforts at times – I would probably only consider pro bono work for an organization whose goals I am truly in alignment with.
IE, volunteer because you WANT to and because it is a cause in which you believe, not because it fits your professional agenda.
And remember that you have to eat, too. Which some non profits will try to convince you is *not* the case.
7. If you work for free, then YOU OWN IT
If you ever want to have a product to sell – instead of selling your time – then you must work for free to get it.
^ …Which is sweat equity.
Good point. Not all free work is for someone else or is volunteering.
Great post — I absolutely agree with you. I sometimes encounter freelance workers who will work for businesses for very small sums in order to build their portfolios, and I always want to tell them to give it away for a cause they believe in instead. In fact, I think it’s worth budgeting time in a busy schedule for pro bono work — because even once you have #1 covered, the rest of the reasons are still valid.
For all the disclaimers for potentially grumpy readers, I don’t see one comment that really addresses what a reader might by grumpy about, which does concern me.
Being a young freelancer I understand the challenges of building a portfolio with little to no experience and the difficulties of asking for money for something you love to do. Furthermore, it is by no means wrong to take on a project in which you donate your time or that is for a cause you believe in.
We do run into some dangers when we see freelancers, like many of those in previous comments, that have come to rely on pro bono work for their entire portfolio and in actuality their subsistence of clients as freelancers. There are plenty of ways for a fresh freelancer to get paying work even in today’s market and even at an early stage in their career. In my article http://bryanconnor.com/2009/03/finding-jobs-on-the-web-a-practical-guide/ I discuss a few way how to do just this.
The danger of pro bono work comes when it becomes a matter of habit for a freelancer and when it turns into spec work.
To me it comes down to how much you value yourself as a freelancer when you determine what you are going to charge for a job and how much pro bono work you take on. Take on a pro bono piece here and there but know that you can get those real freelance paying jobs just like the big boys and fill out your portfolio.
for slightly less grumpy advice and articles for freelancers visit http://bryanconnor.com/blog/
Great article! As someone who’s brand new in the business, I didn’t even think about this possibility. So thanks to the author and thanks to everybody for their input! =)
great post!! learned a lot from it and the value of doing free porfolio work.
looking forward to more of your posts!!!
thanks!!
I disagree with working for free. If your portfolio is empty, you still have two options:
1. Work for free to build portfolio
2. Update your skills until you get paid work!!
Option 2 is the superior option because doing routine work for free does NOT update your skills. It rather breaks them down. You end up worse off then you started.
I agree to all your plus points about working for free! As a newbie in this freelancing world, it is extremely difficult to get my work out there. I have no choice but to work for free – write for non-profit websites, and offer to write for a magazine for free, but somehow, it gets me a good portfolio, and now I’m starting to see the results of my effort. I’m being offered paid work!
There are plenty of paid work opportunities with nonprofit organisation and pro bono work can be a great way to make inroads into that sector.
If you take on pro bono work make sure it’s well-defined and that you agree an end date. A lot of nonprofits have difficulties when a volunteer, for example, sets up their website but then isn’t available to make changes to it a few months later. Try to give the organisation skills, document everything and make sure that someone else could carry on the good work you’ve started.
I do pro-bono work for our Humane Society http://tbayhumane.ca and it’s been really rewarding and worthwhile.
It’s an organization with a mission that I really care about (I also serve on the board and spend my weekends with the animals, so I’m very passionate about it), it’s an organization that has pretty much no budget for things like web and other marketing efforts so even if I can do a little it makes a big impact, and they’re appreciative and give me a fair bit of creative control over the process. So not only can I feel good about doing this work, but it’s also fun.
Another way I’ve found I can contribute my services is by donating gift certificates for my services to the annual charity auction. This lets me make a contribution to the charity while also connecting me with local business owners (who may turn into regular clients – after all, they liked my work enough to buy it on auction) and also is just great PR. As a bonus I believe this kind of contribution is also tax deductible (of course, check regs in your country.)
Any free work I do is definitely limited to charities I care a lot about. It is nice to be able to give back to the community in this way.
Martha – Great information – as usual! Thanks for the mention. – J.